RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota School of Mines football team suffered a shocking defeat Saturday afternoon, falling to the Fort Lewis College Skyhawks, 53-52, in overtime during a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game on Dunham Field at O'Harra Stadium in Rapid City, S.D.

The Skyhawks scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter that forced an overtime. In the extra frame, the Hardrockers drew first blood with a 12-yard fade to the back of the end zone from senior quarterback Evan Sanders to senior wide receiver Marcus Sanchez. Sophomore kicker Robbie Jo Gerarden made good on the extra point and SD Mines led, 52-45.

Fort Lewis was also successful on their overtime possession, getting a touchdown off running back Drake Griffin's 15-yard rush. The Skyhawks two-point conversion was good when FLC quarterback Bo Coleman faked a pitch to the outside and dove into the left corner of the end zone to give the visitors the 53-52 overtime win.

Tip of the hat to Fort Lewis for earning a hard-fought victory over us on a perfect Saturday afternoon for football at Dunham Field," said Hardrocker football head coach Zach Tinker. "I am so proud of our team and the fight we have shown over the last two weeks and we played with tremendous character and intensity until the final whistle blew. In the end, we were one play short of victory."

 It was definitely a game of momentum swings Saturday afternoon. SD Mines recovered a fumble on the opening play of the game and turned the turnover into three points on a 34-yard field goal from Gerarden early in the first quarter.

Fort Lewis answered with a seven-play 80-yard drive to go up 7-3, but SD Mines retook the lead when Sanders hooked up with junior Isaiah Manley on a 30-yard pass with 2:30 left in the first. Gerarden was good with the PAT and the 'Rockers were back out front, 10-17.

SD Mines added to their edge when Sanders dropped a ball to a sprinting Sanchez for a 48-yard touchdown reception with 10:40 to go in the half. With the extra point, the Hardrockers went up, 17-7.

Fort Lewis came right back with two rushing touchdowns, both from Griffin. The first was a 20-yard TD and the second from 41 yards out for a score. The Skyhawks went into the half with a 21-17 advantage.

The Hardrockers answered back to start the third quarter. On a trick play, Sanders pitched the ball to senior wide receiver Zach Huber who in turn passed the ball down field to junior Connor Silveria on a 20-yard TD pass. The PAT once again gave the Hardrockers a 24-21 lead with 14:20 left in the third.

After the Skyhawks answered the score with a 30-yard field goal that tied the game, 24-24, with 8:56 on the clock in the third, the Hardrockers capped off an 11-play 77-yard drive with a four-yard rushing touchdown from Dorian Cowart. The PAT was good.

That was followed by a 76-yard TD reception from Sanders to Silveria off a short pass to the flat that went the distance. Gerarden's extra point was good and SD Mines led, 38-24, with 2:16 in the third quarter.
Fort Lewis got back into the end zone to start the fourth quarter to chip away at SD Mines' edge, but Hardrocker senior Rashad Ridley fielded a kickoff and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown. With the PAT, SD Mines was back up by two scores, 45-31, with 11:05 left in regulation.

Fort Lewis came up with 14 points before the end of the fourth quarter to set up the dramatic finish.

SD Mines finished the game with 441 yards of total offense, collecting 191 on the ground and 250 through the air. Fort Lewis tallied 415 rushing yards and 141 passing yards for 556 yards of total offense. The Hardrockers earned 19 first downs to 32 for the Skyhawks.

Individually for the Hardrockers, Sanders had 230 passing yards completing 10-22 passes and had four passing touchdowns. Junior quarterback Jake Sullivan left early in the first quarter with a knee injury.

"Specifically impressed with the effort of Evan Sanders and his performance today in relief after Jake's injury," Tinker said. "His leadership and toughness were on full display today. As head coach, The spirit of our team is strong and we demonstrated it this afternoon."

Cowart led the ground attack with 149 yards on 25 carries and a score. Silveria had 21 yards on seven carries but also rattled off 96 receiving yards on two catches and two scores to lead the receiving core. Sanchez also had two touchdowns and a game-high five catches for 94 yards.

Sophomore linebacker Chris Counce led the Hardrocker defense with 17 tackles while freshman Harrison Beemiller had 13 total tackles and junior Jake Fitzgerald added 10.

Junior Michael Harlan had nine tackles including a sack and a forced fumble. Junior Rafael Arellano was credited with two pass deflections while Beemiller and junior EJ DeVeaux both had one.

The loss is the third in a row for the Hardrockers as they fall to 5-4 on the season and 4-4 in the RMAC. Next up, SD Mines travels to Grand Junction, Colo., to face the Colorado Mesa Mavericks in a 1 p.m. matchup.
 
"We are so excited to take our final road trip of the year and play a strong Colorado Mesa team next week," Tinker added.